The Singapore Productivity Centre (SPC) was set up in October 2013 under the aegis of the National Productivity Council. Its mission is to drive enterprise productivity for sustained growth and competitiveness. Singapore’s Hotel Productivity Centre (HPC) was launched in 2015 to help the hotel industry achieve productivity-driven growth. Set up as a dedicated competency centre within the Singapore Productivity Centre (SPC), the HPC is designed as a one-stop resource to help hotels address challenges through productivity and innovation solutions. The HPC draws synergies from SPC’s experience and expertise in carrying out productivity initiatives across the Retail and Food Services sectors.
At the outset, the Singapore Productivity Centre worked in strategic partnership with the Republic Polytechnic and was supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). Over the years, the Republic Polytechnic’s School of Hospitality has cultivated vast capabilities in hotel management as well as in productivity improvements. The services of HPC have benefited the hotel industry through applied research (prototyping and evaluating new technologies, services and solutions); consultancy (diagnosing and solving targeted challenges faced by hotels); benchmarking (comparing Singapore hotel industry against international standards); training; and sharing of best practices (educating industry on innovation and productivity best practices).
At the time of launching the HPC, Singapore’s hotel industry was at a critical juncture, with rising competition, labor constraints and changing workforce aspirations. Hoteliers were facing more pressure than ever to innovate. It was thus timely that an independent, dedicated resource was launched to formulate sustainable growth solutions.
The Hotel Productivity Specialist Program is an initiative by the HPC and was developed in partnership with Republic Polytechnic. It is a training program that trains and equips hotel executives with the competencies and knowledge necessary to support and facilitate the productivity upgrading efforts of hotels. The program comprises a curriculum which covers topics such as productivity concepts, analysis and measurement, tools and techniques, with an emphasis on the Lean Management philosophy.
HPC provides a comprehensive range of services and solutions to help hotels raise productivity effectively with a lean workforce. The services comprise:
• Consultancy on specific areas for improvement or business transformation
• Training and workshops on management of productivity, application of productivity techniques and productivity consultancy
• Benchmarking of performance against the industry average and best-in-class companies
• Conferences to facilitate networking among hotels and share success stories and the latest thinking in productivity
• Applied research on industry trends, organizational practices and productivity solutions
• Study missions to various parts of the world to learn from the best practices of organizations in the different industry sectors
HPC is a one-stop center for hotels seeking to learn more about how productivity principles can enhance guest touch points, and pave the way for a more innovative and dynamic industry. We believe Singapore’s Hotel Productivity Center provides a blueprint for the hotel industry worldwide.